Strike on Kamuu

"Attention on deck!"

Lieutenants Verona Simms and Harry O'Brien snapped to attention, along with the briefing officer Commander Wang, as Captain Holmes entered the room.

"At ease, everyone. Commander Wang, what's the mission?"

"Good afternoon, captain. Will everyone open their briefing books? We have entered orbit around Kamuu Three. Tonight's mission: to destroy an enemy bioweapons lab. Lieutenants Simms and O'Brien will make a HALO drop from an altitude of 80 thousand feet, landing within five miles of the lab. Under cover of darkness they will infiltrate the lab, eliminate all scientific and security personnel, and plant thermite charges. From a safe distance they will detonate the charges, leaving nothing but slag to indicate anything had ever existed there.

"They will then make their way to the nearby town of Sula, where they will make contact with our undercover agent. He will provide them with forged documents and transportation to Chargo, about 75 miles away. The pick-up is near Chargo in 72 hours. Any questions?"

The captain and the two young officers flipped through the briefing materials. The captain picked up one document and perused it closely. "What is this pony thing?"

The briefing officer responded. "Kamuu Three is a backward planet and has limited metal and fossil fuel resources. As such, it has a very primitive transportation system. Nearly all travel is by foot. Upper-class and some middle-class persons frequently travel in carts drawn by other humans, either male or female, referred to as pony-boys or pony-girls. These human draft animals are indentured servants, not slaves. Since the two lieutenants will be traveling in disguise as an upper-class couple, the undercover agent in Sula will prove them with a pony-boy and cart for the trip to Chargo."

Other minor issues were clarified and the briefing ended. The captain left and the briefing officer attended to other duties, leaving the two young lieutenants to discuss their mission. Harry O'Brien was just 23 years old, but had been in training as a commando for six years. He was six three, 195 pounds, with short-cropped brown hair and blue eyes. Verona Simms was 24 and equally well-trained as a stealth warrior. She was five eleven and 145 pounds, mostly muscle but with curves that delighted every red-blooded male on the ship. She had blond hair that almost grazed her shoulders, and wide-set green eyes. The two had trained together since the Academy, and had served together on previous missions. This, however, was the first assignment for which they would be on their own, without a superior officer giving orders.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Verona?"

"We're both the same rank. If we get in a tough situation, who makes the decisions? What if we disagree?"

"If we get in a situation where there isn't one course of action that's obviously superior, then we're already in trouble." After a pause of a few seconds, Harry continued. "I'll tell you what. I trust you, I trust your judgement. If I think you're wrong, I'll let you know what I think we should do. But then you make the final decision. Okay?"

"Sounds like a plan. If we get in that situation, I'll definitely want your ideas. I just hope I make the right decisions. If it comes to that�."

At the scheduled time the two commandos were dropped from a shuttle craft in low orbit. For many long minutes they plunged through the upper atmostphere. Then, as they approached the surface, they popped a series of small chutes to slow down, and finally their main chutes when they were only a few thousand feet above the surface. They reconnoitered the area and made their approach to the bioweapons lab.

The next part of the mission went like clockwork. There were nearly a dozen security guards, which they quickly killed with silenced firearms. The underground lab was relatively easy to penetrate, and the scientists were killed or incapacitated with grenades. Verona and Harry were then able to take their time planting the explosive charges. Using a radio signal, they detonated the charges from a distance of nearly a mile, leaving no evidence behind. If the terrorist leaders tried to find out what happened to their lab, they would probably think it had been attacked by dozens if not a hundred soldiers. They would never be on the lookout for two individuals, traveling to their rendezvous on foot.

Verona and Harry had no trouble finding the home of their undercover agent, an older woman named Rigby. After exchanging passwords she told them that there was a problem.

"I obtained a pony-boy and a cart. Was a little difficult, since I'm supposed to be a working woman who cannot afford luxuries. But I have them at a stable outside town. The problem is, the pony-boy has a sprained ankle and cannot run. Why don't you rest for a few hours, while I try to solve this. I'll be back as soon as possible."

The two young lieutenants took turns sleeping and keeping watch for the next several hours, until Rigby returned.

"Bad news. I cannot find another pony. And I do not think you should travel on foot, it would raise suspicions."

Harry came up with an idea. "What if I took the place of the pony-boy?"

"It would work. I assume you are physically fit. The harness will only fit a male, so it would have to be you, Harry."

"What do you think, Verona?"

"I think we need to get out of this district as soon as possible. If you don't mind pretending to be a pony-boy, then I think we ought to do it."

There were still a couple hours of darkness remaining, when the three of them reassembled at the stable. It was empty except for a naked boy, about 18 years old, lying on a pad in the corner. His ankle was heavily bandaged. Rigby told Harry to strip.

"What?"

"You must take off your clothes. Pony-boys are always naked. Didn't you know? I thought you were briefed on this planet."

"Verona, did you know about this?"

"Yes, Harry. It was in the briefing papers. I didn't say anything, but I thought you knew."

Time was running short, and there didn't seem to be any alternative. Reluctantly, Harry stripped off the clothing he wore, until he stood naked in the center of the room. Rigby dumped the contents of a box at his feet. It was a jumble of leather harnesses. "Here, I will help you into your harness. Verona, you watch so you can do this, if you have to. But probably he will keep it on until you reach the rendezvous."

Harry pulled on the lightweight ankle boots and fastened them, then stood straight while Rigby proceeded to fit the harness on him. First a collar, then wrist cuffs which she linked behind his back. Then a short strap which connected his wrists to a ring on the back of the collar, that pulled his wrists up. It was not uncomfortable, exactly, but Harry did not like feeling so helpless. Still, he had committed himself to this, so did not comlain.

Next, a harness that went over his shoulders and around his chest, that fastened in the back. And a belt around his waist, with rings on each hip. Then she asked Harry to bend over at the waist.

"A pony-boy must have a tail. Let me grease this up for you. I understand that after a while you don't even notice it's there." Harry grumbled, he did not like it when people tried to put anything inside his butt, but he knew this was necessary.

Finally, a halter that went around his head, under the chin and over the crown, with a bit that went in his mouth. Again, not exactly uncomfortable, but it would make speech nearly impossible.

"Pony-boys do not talk. If someone addresses you, look to Verona to answer. You can be whipped if you speak. The cart is in the back, let's get you hitched up and off before it gets light outside."

The cart was a light and simple two-wheeled contraption, with two tongues in the front that hooked to the rings on Harry's belt. This determined the direction of travel as well as the fore-and-aft attitude of the cart. The actual towing was through a rope from Harry's chest harness to the front of the cart. Verona climbed aboard and Rigby showed her how to adjust the center of gravity, so that most of her weight was on the wheels and only a few pounds on Harry's waist. Then she took the reins.

"You know the route?"

"Yes, thanks for all your help," she answered. "Stay safe." And to Harry: "Let's go, pony!" with a laugh in her voice.

Harry took off at an easy trot. He had 75 miles to go -- in the 0.82 G gravity of Kamuu Three, their trip ought to take about 15 hours, plus occasional rest stops. After a couple miles he no longer noticed the tailplug in his ass. The air was cool and calm, and he hardly felt the weight of the cart he was pulling. He decided to treat this like a training run; he would take care of the running, and let Verona think about the mission.

They stopped each hour for water; Verona held the canteen for Harry. Sweat was dripping from his forehead into his eyes, so Verona fashioned a sweatband for him, under the halter straps. During the third stop, Harry attracted Verona's attention.

"I need your help, Verona."

"With what."

"I have to pee."

"Why do you need my help?"

"You need to pull back my foreskin. Please?"

So Verona held his penis and pulled back the foreskin so that Harry could pee without getting any urine inside the foreskin. She was amused by this, and enjoyed the power she held over Harry. But she knew better than to exult over Harry's condition. She liked him too much as a friend and an occasional lover.

In late morning they stopped for a light lunch. Verona decided not to unhitch Harry from the cart; she fed him standing up, and gave him water to wash down the food. Harry was actually enjoying this treatment, being cared for like a pet. He was not tired at all, and was eager to put more miles behind them. They had already traveled one third of the distance to Chargo.

The afternoon passed in much the same way. Verona was happy to be getting away from Sula and the bioweapons lab. It was unlikely that any members of the terrorist organization remained on this planet, much less that they were searching for the saboteurs. With any luck, she and Harry would be back aboard the ship and en route to another sector before the terrorists even knew there was a problem with their lab.

Verona was also enjoying the ride. She liked Harry, but sometimes he could be arrogant. So it was nice to see him like this, naked and vulnerable. There was a whip handy, which she had not and would not use on him; that would just be asking for payback! But she loved to watch his muscles, the way they all worked together to propel him and the cart forward. He had the most gorgeously firm butt -- she would never tell him that, but it was something she might share with her female crewmates back on the ship. Surely this part of the mission would not be so highly classified, that she could not discuss it with a few friends!

It was toward the end of the afternoon, with the sun two-thirds of the way toward the western horizon. Harry was just striding effortlessly forward, Verona was lulled into complacency by the monotony of the landscape, a rolling grassland dotted with an occasional tree. Suddenly they were surrounded by a dozen heavily-armed soldiers in uniform, with their rifles were pointed right at the two unlucky lieutenants!

The leader was a big man, a bearded giant who looked like a thug, but he had an educated voice. "Welcome to Stelmar province. I am Major Bowman. Your identification documents, ma'am?"

Verona climbed down from the cart and handed over her papers. The Major glanced through them.

"What is the purpose of your trip?"

"I have business interests in Chargo."

"Is this your first visit to Stelmar province?"

"Yes, it is."

"I thought so. Otherwise you would not be so ignorant of our laws."

"I apologize if I have inadvertently broken any laws. Can you tell me what I have done wrong?"

"The pony-boy. He is intact."

"Intact?"

"It is the law in our province that pony-boys must be neutered. This boy must be castrated before you continue your trip."

Verona was shocked, but remembered that she was pretending to be a woman of the upper classes. "I understand, Major. It was not my intention to break any of your laws. I will turn back and arrange to have a legal pony-boy the next time I make this trip."

"I am sorry, ma'am, but it is twenty miles back to the provincial boundry. If I allowed you to continue your trip, no matter which direction you travel, you would still be in violation of the law. I insist that you comply with the law, now." There was a slightly menacing tone in his voice.

Verona recognized the seriousness of the situation. Too many soldiers, too many guns, and Harry was totally helpless to help.

"This pony-boy is not my slave, he is my servant, and the contract I have with him requires that I not permit any harm to come to him."

"And in which province did you make this contract? It is not valid in the province of Stelmar. You brought him into Stelmar, now you must comply with our laws. If you refuse, I will place you under arrest. Let me assure you, the judge will order the castration of your pony-boy. And he will make you pay a severe penalty for your defiance. He, too, has business interests, he provides personnel for the salt mines."

"Major, it is not my intention to defy your laws. But how can he run, if I cut him? He will need time to recover."

"I think you will find that boys recover very quickly. You should be able to continue your journey in an hour or two."

"Very well. Just give me a few minutes with the pony-boy, please."

"Take your time, ma'am. We are not going anywhere."

Verona strode to where Harry still stood in the traces. "Kneel," she commanded. She pulled the bit from his mouth and unfastened the halter. She took the canteen from her belt and gave him a drink, then wiped the drops that had dribbled down his chin. One hand she petted the top of his head, with the other she tilted his chin up so he was looking her in the eyes.

She spoke to him softly, so that the Major could not hear. "You know what I must do. I have no choice."

Harry, of course, had overheard the entire conversation between Verona and the Major. He clearly understood the tactical situation -- the way he was bound, any fight would be twelve to one, hopeless. What he needed to do was to hide the primal fear he felt. He locked his gaze on Verona's eyes, searching in those eyes for what he hoped was a glimmer of a plan. Seeing none, he gave her a nod, signifying his consent to what was about to happen.

Verona walked back to the Major, leaving Harry kneeling in the dirt. "Major, I am ready to comply with your law. Would you have a very sharp knife, some rope, a leather thong, and a needle and thread, that I might borrow?" The Major, pleased that this rich lady had relented, gave orders to one of his men to collect the necessary items.

A tree trunk on one side of the road, which has served as cover for the soldiers a few minutes earlier, looked to Verona like a suitable place for the unpleasant task she was to perform. She unhitched Harry from the cart and removed the harness and belt, leaving him naked except for collar, wrist cuffs, and boots. She walked him over to the tree trunk, and when out of hearing of the Major, she whispered, "I'm going to try something. But this is still going to hurt like hell. Please forgive me, Harry."

Verona actually had two ideas, but she didn't know whether either one would work. She pushed Harry forward over the tree trunk, which resulted in his butt being elevated slightly above his chest and shoulders. With the ropes she pulled his legs apart and tied them, leaving his genitals exposed and vulnerable. The leather thong she used to tie his scrotum, near the base, trapping his testicles.

"May I have a handkerchief, please?" she asked the Major. "I want to gag him, I do not want to hear him cry out."

"Let him yell, it will be good for him to scream when he loses his nuts. Would you like me to cut him for you? This is not a job for a fine lady like you."

"No thank you, Major, it is my duty." She looked around and saw another short piece of rope, which she used to gag him. As she knelt to adjust the gag, she again whispered to Harry: "Be brave, Harry, I need you to be brave."

Harry was now securely tied over the tree trunk, with his legs spread apart and a leather thong trapping his testicles in their sac. The boy still had the tailplug in his ass, and she pulled the tail up over Harry's back and out of the way. Verona glanced around as she knelt between Harry's legs and took hold of his sac. The angle was right�. Neither the Major nor any of his soldiers could see very well what was happening, even if they wanted to watch.

Verona loosened the leather thong, as if to retie it more securely. What she really wanted to do was find out if she could push one of Harry's testicles up out of the scrotum, to hide it inside his body. Harry would still be a man, as long as he had one nut. She only had a few seconds� It wouldn't fit. God damn it, why did he have to have such big nuts?!? Finally she gave up and retied the thong.

The Major was apparently curious to see what Verona had been up to, because he approached until he was only a few feet behind her. A couple of the other soldiers were now looking over her shoulder, too. Verona knew what she had to do. She gave Harry a final pat on the butt, then went to work.

Holding his scrotum in her left hand, she cut a slit on the right side, trying not to cut any more than necessary. The skin opened up, revealing a grayish membrane underneath. Verona cut through that and with her fingers popped the right nut out into the open. Harry was struggling desperately, and trying to scream through the rope gag, but to no avail. Poor Harry! Verona cut through the cord, permanently severing the testicle. She realized she had forgotten a container, so pulled off her neckerchief, laid it on the ground, and gently set the testicle on it.

The left testicle came out in much the same way: two quick cuts, a little squeeze to pop the testicle through the opening, and slicing through the cord. Harry's struggles ceased, his castration was complete. Verona set the second testicle down next to its brother, and took up the needle and thread. Quickly but with surprising aptitude, she sewed up the cuts, taking care to push whatever remained of the cords back inside the scrotum. In just a few minutes she was done, and then untied the leather thong, letting blood flow back into the now-empty scrotum. She wiped off the knife and handed it to the Major. Then she picked up the neckerchief and carefully wrapped it around the two precious testicles. "I think I'll keep these as a souvenir, to remind me of this visit to Chargo, if you don't mind," she said with a tone of feigned haughtiness.

"I don't mind at all, fair lady. I am curious, however, why you didn't just take the scrotum off. What use will this pony-boy have for an empty scrotum?'

"Consider it vanity, Major. I plan to have a set of fake testicles made for him, made from wood perhaps. Maybe twice the size of the originals. What do you think?"

"I think that would be very amusing. And will you keep your souvenirs in a jar?"

"A good idea, Major. Would you have an extra one available?"

"I think we can find one, ma'am. And then we must be returning to our barracks. Have a pleasant trip, fair lady, and come back to visit us anytime."

Soon Verona and Harry were alone. She left him tied over the tree trunk while she put the testicles in a bottle and filled it with water. With any luck, the medical department on board the ship would be able to use them to make a new pair for Harry. The odds were not great, however. First the two of them had to reach Chargo, then wait for rescue, which was not scheduled to happen for nearly three days. And Harry was not in good shape; he had just undergone a most awful experience, and Verona did not know if or when he would be able to travel. All she had to go on was what the Major had said. Who could know if what he said was true? Still, would the Major have insisted that Harry be castrated right here, by the side of the road, if he wasn't likely to survive the surgery?

Then she set about untying Harry, and gave him water to drnk, and used more of the water to clean up his surgical wound. Verona knew he was still in great pain, but she didn't have anything to ease his pain. She very carefully sat him down, and sat down next to him and cradled him, trying to provide some comfort. And after a while Harry fell asleep.

It was well after dark, and both of Kamuu Three's moons were high in the sky, before Harry awakened. He was groggy, and asked for water to drink. After a while he stood up and stretched. Hesitantly, Verona asked how he was feeling.

"About as well as any man could feel, who's just been castrated. I thought you said you had a couple ideas. What was the other one?"

"Probably not a very good one. I saved your testicles, I just hope the doctors back on the ship can use them to make you a new pair. Hey, maybe they can give you some extra ones. That's why I saved your scrotum, so you'll have a place to keep your new ones."

"You really think that will work?"

"They can rebuild arms and legs and grow new kidneys, why can't they make new testicles?�� Say, do you think you can travel?"

"Yeah, pretty soon. But not as fast as before."

"Does it still hurt a lot?"

"Not so much as before."

Shortly afterward Verona reharnessed Harry and hitched him up again to the cart. She climbed onto the seat and took the reins. "Set your own speed, Harry."

Throughout that night the two young officers traveled, Harry pulling the cart, Verona riding in it. If he suffered -- and she knew he did -- Harry did not openly complain. And in fact his pace gradually increased, til in the hour before dawn he was running as fast as before the encounter with the Major. Then they rested a few hours, and after that continued on without any further delays until they reached Chargo. Verona found their contact in Chargo and arranged for Harry to receive medical care, food, and rest. Two days later they were picked up at the rendezvous.

Harry was immediately taken to sick bay. Verona filed her report, offering a candid critique of her own performance. What had happened to Harry should never have happened. There was no excuse for her failure to familiarize herself with the laws in Stelmar, before going there and putting Harry in jeopardy. She had been too trusting of the undercover agent Rigby. She had not been sufficiently alert to dangers on the road. She ought to have kept some weapons, to defend herself and Harry.

But in the end, a board of inquiry concluded that she and Harry had both acted with distinction. The mission was a success, after all, and the incident on the road during their escape was handled about as well as could be expected. Harry received a Purple Heart, naturally, for the wounds suffered in a hostile zone. And both received a commendation for courage. The citations did not mention the situation where Verona was coerced into doing grievous harm to Harry, to wit, castrating him. But in a private conversation between Verona and the Captain, he told her that, were he ever to be in the same unfortunate situation as Harry, he would hope he had someone like Verona to do the cutting.

Verona had looked in on Harry several times during the first few days back on the ship, but Harry had acted as if he did not care to speak with her. Then her other duties kept her very busy for several days, which kept her from checking on Harry's progress. When she next went to see him, the doctor told her that Harry was now recuperating in his quarters. So Verona decided to call on him.

She pressed the call button for his cabin.

"Enter"

Harry was lying in his bed, a blanket covering his lower half, his chest bare. He had been reading.

"How are you, Harry?"

"Not bad, Verona. In fact, pretty good. I suppose you'd like to see what the doctor's accomplished?"

"Only if you wish to show me."

"Verona, Verona, Verona, after all we've been through, why would I want to keep a secret from you?" And with that he grabbed the top of his blankets and tossed them off the end of the bed, exposing his entirely naked body.

"Come have a closer look. I've got a brand new set of gonads, Verona, just as good as the originals, maybe better. I gave the doc a sperm sample yesterday, and he said the sperm count was high and there were no signs of any genetic problems."

"That's wonderful, Harry. What I did to you was the most horrible thing that can be done to a man, totally unforgiveable. And I won't ask for your forgiveness."

"Verona, there's nothing for me to forgive. You did what you had to do. Both our lives were at risk�. Do you remember when I said I would accept your decision, if we got in trouble? Well, I think you made the right decision, though I certainly didn't care for it at the time."

"Was it really awful, Harry?"

"You can't imagine. I suppose for a woman, going through childbirth can be bad, but for a man there's nothing like being castrated. But the ship's shrink worked with me, and now I can almost laugh about it. After all, what was lost has now been found. And you know, I think they might be bigger than the originals. What do you think?"

Verona crawled up on the bed between Harry's legs and took hold of his scrotum. "Yes, I do believe they are bigger, by maybe 25%. And look, there are no scars where I cut you." She looked up toward his smiling face. "You have your family jewels back, Harry."

Meanwhile, the attention she was giving to his nutsack was having a stimulating effect on his prick. "And look at this bad boy! Have you had anyone else hold it for you while you pee?"

"No, but look what you're doing to me. If you don't have to go on duty, why don't you get undressed and spend the afternoon with me? You know, as part of my recuperation?"

Verona didn't answer, she just quickly stripped off her uniform and rejoined Harry on the bed. She was just so happy that he was a whole man again, and was eager to find out how well all his parts worked.

They worked just fine. Each and every time, over and over and over again.